Yes I had 5 concussions as a player. Not fun!! Concussions were not really monitored as they are now in the league. You just went out and played if you got your bell rung. Now we have guide lines and base testing that the medical staff has to follow before the player can resume play which is great.

I think it all starts with youth hockey. We are now teaching them to keep their heads up more, learn how to give and take a check and be aware of the danger zones and positioning.

Players are bigger and stronger now. Head shot are being monitored now closer then ever. Respect for your fellow players still needs to be addressed and is getting better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by VirginiaMtlExpat

Hi Mr Savage,

I remember seeing you jogging around the McGill campus when I was in grad school during your playing days.

Here's a question that relates to one of my favorite themes:

do you think that the NHL is doing enough to prevent injuries?

Here are a few suggestions for what they might do:
i) spring-loaded boards (the wooden part, not just the plexiglass part) with some give (fund some research to find material & design that do not affect bounce of the puck);
ii) mandatory visor/half-visor and boxer-type mouthguard (not a decision of the player, who might be tempted to get rid of either based on peer pressure, and btw, concussions can happen easily by facial trauma, hence the mouthguard), as well as
iii) externally softer elbow pads and shoulder pads (make it unlikely to cause a concussion by amplifying the trauma with what is supposed to be protection);
iv) concussion prevention research program, just like the NFL.
v) (Edit) while we're at it: the rink has stayed the same size for more than a century, while players are a lot faster than they were a century ago: what is the hang-up about increasing the size of the rink? Somewhere between the current size and international size...

My opinion is that the NHL is run by old school guys who don't really care about the long-term health of the players, and even in the short-term are certainly not proactive in terms of keeping them healthy. Guys like Pat Lafontaine, Eric Lindros, Zigmund Palffy, could have played a lot longer. It can still be a contact sport while keeping the players in the game.